


Last Night

by Finsfall



Category: Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: Awkward Sexual Situations, Comedy of Errors, Drunk Elsa (Disney), F/F, F/M, Gay Panic, Mistakes were made, Useless Lesbians
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:01:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23448211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Finsfall/pseuds/Finsfall
Summary: Elsa wakes up in a strange bed with a pounding headache and zero memory of the night before.She is not alone.This may or may not be longer than four chapters. I cannot rightly say yet.(Spoilers: It's longer.)
Relationships: Anna/Kristoff (Disney), Elsa/Honeymaren (Disney)
Comments: 24
Kudos: 184





	1. In the Light of Day

Sunlight filtered through a crack in the wooden ceiling beams. The tiny ray of light stabbed through Elsa’s closed lids, and she groaned in protest. Tossing an arm over her face, Elsa tried to go back to sleep. She’d been having great dreams. They were fading fast, but she could still feel the summer warmth on her back, smell the earthy scent of new grass mixed with wildflowers, and taste honey on her tongue. Desperate to recapture the moment, Elsa tried to will the sun out of her face. The sun stubbornly refused to listen.

_ Fine.  _ She grumbled to herself.  _ Looks like I have a roof to fix anyway.  _

Elsa opened her eyes and immediately regretted it as pain seared across her retinas. Head throbbing, and eyes watering, she just laid flat on the bed for a moment to breathe. It took awhile for the dancing spots inside her lids to begin to fade. Slowly this time, Elsa tried again to greet the morning. Cracking one lid and then the other, she finally managed to get both eyes open without feeling like her head was going to split apart. The ceiling above her came into focus. Along the beams curled a veritable menagerie of fantastical creatures. There were butterflies next to winged beings she didn’t have names for, and wolves running alongside what appeared to be centaurs carved into the wood. Right over the bed, a shockingly realistic wooden Nokk stared down at her. As the morning light filtered through the perfectly sanded hole that served as the spirit’s eye, a chill jolted through Elsa’s spine.

_ This...This isn’t my goahti. _

Sweat freezing on her palms, Elsa swept her gaze over the rest of the room. In the space to the right of the door where her trunk stood was instead a rack full of weapons and a sawhorse hung with various bits of saddle tack. The weapons were all in peak condition, and the tack’s leather gleamed with a fresh coat of oil. To the left there was a basin resting on a chest that was just as beautifully carved as the ceiling. Felt tapestries hung from the walls in a bright array of gold, browns, and reds. They really brought a homey feel to the place, but Elsa wasn’t in any state of mind to appreciate the decor. 

_ Where am I? Whose house is this? No, more importantly, how did I get here?  _ Elsa’s thoughts somersaulted in her aching skull. She wracked her memories for something, anything, that could explain her current predicament, but came up alarmingly blank. Elsa prided herself on her memory. After years of practice she could remember a dignitary’s name after a single introduction, recite the lineage of every royal in the countries that bordered Arendelle, and no one could beat her at cards (Elsa counted them, which Anna repeatedly told her was cheating). So to find that she couldn’t remember  _ anything  _ from last night was more than a little shocking: it was downright terrifying. 

Feeling panic mounting, Elsa forced herself to remain calm.  _ Ok. Think, Elsa. There is a logical explanation for this.  _ She took a couple of deep breaths.  _ Let’s take this one problem at a time.  _ If being Queen had taught her anything, it was how to deal with the unexpected. This really wasn’t the same as having someone ask her opinion on the proper method for making lutefisk, but she could certainly handle it the same way. 

_ Fact number one, I’m not in my own goathi. Fact number two…  _ She glanced up at the Nokk carving,  _ I’ve never been in here before because I am certain I would remember  _ that _.  _

Elsa winced as her head throbbed again.  _ Fact number three, my head feels like it’s been kicked around by rock trolls, and something definitely died in my mouth.  _ Putting a hand to her mouth, she tested her breath and nearly gagged. Grimacing, Elsa faced the facts. There were only two possible explanations for her situation, magic or drunkenness. And Elsa had spent enough time chuckling at courtiers who came stumbling into breakfast with their hands clasped to their heads to know which was the most likely. 

But, Elsa had never been drunk before. She categorically refused to count that fateful summer cold; that was a fever, not an overindulgence.  _ I’m normally so careful. How did this happen?  _ She tried again to remember something, anything, from the night before that could explain her current situation. 

_ Think, Elsa! You got up, ate breakfast with Honeymaren and Ryder, taught some of the children to ice skate, and then you rode the Nokk…  _ Elsa balled her fists against her temples.  _ Where were you going? Come on, it was only a few hours ago, you should remember this! Why can’t I remember?” _

Something shifted on her right underneath the covers. Elsa froze. As ice crept over the quilt the warm mass let out a displeased mumble. An arm flung itself around Elsa’s waist, and pulled her tight against what was very clearly a living, breathing,  _ female _ body.

Elsa’s heart stopped.

Eyes fixed on the caramel skinned fingers flattened possessively across her hip bone, Elsa slowly dragged her gaze up the finely boned wrist to the bulging bicep that flexed with every inhale. Every exhale pushed two soft breasts against her shoulder blades, and judging from the feel, it was VERY clear that there wasn’t a stitch of fabric between them.

_ Oh my god. Oh my god.  _

Heart stuttering in her chest, mind racing in circles like a terrified lemming, Elsa was a stone in the woman’s arms. Coherent thought escaped her. Somehow, she’d never considered the possibility that the strange goahti might be occupied. Which seemed utterly foolish in hindsight as the apparent owner sighed happily against her neck. Her breath tickled in a way that sent shivers down Elsa’s spine, and a foreign heat bloomed between her thighs.

Or maybe it wasn’t so foreign. Elsa wasn’t experienced by any stretch of the imagination, but even she knew what lust was. She’d read enough books and listened to Anna’s far too detailed descriptions to mistake the feeling for anything else. 

_ What did I do?! What did WE do?  _ Pupils blown wide with panic and the fire raging through her blood, Elsa started to hyperventilate.

Elsa and her sister reacted very differently in times of stress. Anna would run around talking animatedly to whomever was closest, her whole body practically vibrating with whatever she was feeling. Elsa, on the other hand, would bury her emotions. Anna shared; Elsa retreated.

So, that’s exactly what Elsa did. 

Breath coming in gasps, she reached for the woman’s hand and slowly, very, very, slowly, she pried the fingers away from her hip. Laying the hand down against the quilt, Elsa eased away from the warm embrace inch by inch. Cold air seeped between them and Elsa bit back a cry as the woman shifted at the motion, her hair brushing across Elsa's spine as the fifth spirit pulled away. 

Bare feet hit the floor. Quivering with a tangled mess of feelings, and naked as the day she was born, Elsa finally got a good look at her companion. She immediately wished she hadn’t. 

Honeymaren laid sprawled across the bed. A Venus straight from a masterpiece: her hair glowed in the morning light with the brilliance of polished mahogany, her skin like the finest milk chocolate. The quilt was half thrown over her side, but it did absolutely nothing to hide the contours of her chest or the swell of her rear. She was the most heart-wrenchingly beautiful person Elsa had ever laid eyes upon. 

_ By the spirits.  _ Elsa was rooted in place, mouth gaping like a landed fish.  _ Honeymaren. This is Honeymaren’s house.  _

She took in the weapons and carvings strewn across the goahti with new understanding. Ryder had always bragged about his sister’s skill with a knife, but Elsa had just assumed he meant in battle. Honeymaren was one of the best warriors in the tribe after all. The woman laying before her wasn’t just a work of art, she was an artist too.

Reaching up, Elsa traced the curve of a swan’s neck on the ceiling with fingers that trembled; her gaze never leaving Honeymaren.  _ Amazing. _

The Northuldra woman grumbled, and Elsa jumped. Face scrunching up, her hands roamed over the bed around the hollow Elsa left behind. 

_ She’s going to WAKE UP!  _ Elsa’s brain screamed. This revelation was followed by one just as alarming as she glanced down at her own bare skin.  _ SHE’S GOING TO SEE ME! _

Logically, this did not make sense. They had been sleeping together in the same bed with naught but a blanket between them. If Elsa’s assumptions were correct, then Honeymaren had done a LOT more than just look at her body last night. Nakedness shouldn’t have mattered. But in the sunlight and sobering clarity of the erotic scene before her, Elsa tossed logic out the window.

Lightning bolts of fear zapped her limbs into action. With a wave of her hands, a simple shift dress materialized and Elsa yanked it over her head. Whatever she’d been wearing the night before was nowhere to be seen, so she just grabbed the pair of familiar blue boots resting by the bed and practically flew out the door as Honeymaren’s eyes fluttered.

Elsa didn’t look back. She dashed blindly through the sleepy camp, nearly bowling over a couple of early risers who stared after her with surprise. Feet pounding against fallen leaves, Elsa charged into the forest towards the river: leaving the Northuldra, and Honeymaren, far behind.


	2. More Questions than Answers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clearly I cannot be trusted to keep an update schedule right now. So, I will make no promises except that I will finish all of the works currently in progress.
> 
> This story was orginally going to be three chapters about a thousand words each, but this one got so long I cut it in half. Enjoy what will be a much longer story than intended, because Anna rambles, Elsa panics, and I live for the drama.
> 
> Times are strange. Stories keep us sane.

Elsa’s feet hit the mossy beach. The Nokk whinnied after her, but Elsa didn’t look back. Grabbing the sodden hem of her dress, she took off towards the castle. There were several entrances into Arendelle Castle, but the sea passage had always been her favorite. Set into the wall on the back of the main building, the passage opened onto a small strip of beach that faced the fjord. It was utterly cut off from the village, and inhospitable to ships due to the rocks hidden just under the waves. In other kingdoms such a sheltered beach would have been crawling with courtiers; Arendelle’s weather didn’t really allow for that. Shade from the castle encouraged algae growth, making the beach pebbles as slippery as they were cold. So, overlooked by guards and shunned by courtiers, it became one of Elsa’s favorite haunts. No place in the castle was as free from curious eyes.

A fact she was immensely thankful for at the moment. Her eyes darted up towards the parapets. Clear, not a person in sight.  _ General Mattais hasn’t changed the patrols yet. Good, now if only they’ve forgotten to lock the door.  _ Elsa skidded to a stop before the entrance.

The salt-crusted handle yielded under her touched and Elsa internally cheered. Inside the castle was quiet. A faint murmur came from the direction of the kitchens, and there was the clanking stride of a patrolling guard somewhere to her left. Nothing Elsa couldn’t avoid. Stealth was the natural byproduct of thirteen years of isolation and an ingrained fear of human contact. Ghosting through the familiar halls, she made it to Anna’s room in record time.

Anna opened the door on the first knock. “Elsa?”

“Anna, thank god. I didn’t mean to wake you, but something happened an…” Elsa began, then stopped as she got a good look at her sister. Anna’s hair was done up in a braided crown, her makeup was flawless, and her dark green gown didn’t have a single wrinkle. Her shoes even matched. “You were already up?”

Anna rolled her eyes. “ _ Someone _ decided that council meetings should be held first thing in the mornings, ‘to better understand the immediate concerns of Arendelle.’” She made air quotes with her fingers. “But you know what I think? I think the real reason was because  _ someone _ got bored waiting around for the rest of the world to wake up.”

Elsa shrugged. “I didn’t see the point in wasting daylight. You know what the workload is like.”

“I do know. And I have also realized that anything covered in these morning briefings is just a recap of yesterday’s news.” Anna raised an eyebrow, “Which either means you forgot that normal people don’t go to work before the birds, or the recap must have been for the benefit of everyone else.”

She looked pointedly at her sister, and Elsa smiled guiltily.

Anna snorted. “I thought as much. Regardless, The council members were rather attached to the schedule, so I left it alone. They like having breakfast in the castle, and I like having them in a good mood for the budget meeting after lunch.” 

“I’m sure that helps.”

“Oh, it does.” Anna agreed, “those old badgers approved my plans for renovating the schoolhouse without even looking it over. We are going to have quite an impressive state-sponsored apprenticeship program next year.” 

“What’s that have to do with renovations?”

“Absolutely nothing. Unless you count it as a renovation of our educational curriculum, which is close enough in my book.” With a sly grin, Anna elbowed her sister. “Pretty good, huh? That’s what they get for not reading the fine print.”

“A bit underhanded, but certainly effective.” Elsa conceded. “Though I must admit, I am a bit confused. Aren’t apprenticeships normally handled by families?” Elsa’s brow creased, “why would we need to sponsor a program?” 

Anna nodded, “normally they are. But I was lying in bed last week, and Kristoff and I were trading stories about our childhood. Family, dreams, favorite pastimes, you know, those sorts of things. Well, I got to talking about that one summer I was convinced that my true calling was as a pastry chef.”

“A very memorable summer.”

“You remember that?!” Anna gaped. 

“Of course I do. You left a new experiment every day for a month outside my door.” Elsa shuddered at the memory. “I asked Gerda to label all the jars in the kitchen after the salt cookies.” 

“The jars were you? Seriously, you don’t know how helpful those labels were! Salt and sugar have no business looking that similar. Mama got one of those salt cookies too. If only you’d seen the look on her face when she bit into it!” Anna beamed at Elsa, “I got banned from the kitchen for a week afterwards.”

“Which you ignored.”

“You know me so well.” The hallway fell into a warm silence as the sisters smiled at each other. The moment stretched out until it became clear that Anna wasn’t going to say anything else.

“You had a point, something about Kristoff I think?” Elsa prompted.

“Oh, yeah! Thanks. Anyway as I was saying, childhood, bla, bla. Important point is that if I’d been born anything other than a princess, our parents could have paid for me to apprentice under a real baker. Kristoff didn’t have that option. Trolls don’t use human money after all. He kinda fell into the whole ice harvesting thing after he followed a group of them into the woods one day. He was lucky actually.” Anna admitted. “Many of the orphans in the village end up as unskilled laborers if someone doesn’t adopt them. As Arendelle’s queen I couldn’t just stand by and let someone’s future be decided based on a stupid thing like luck.”

“So you came up with a way to fund apprenticeships for everyone who wouldn’t otherwise be able to learn a trade.” Elsa was floored by her sister’s compassion. “Every day you find new ways to impress me.” She shook her head ruefully, “I have a lot of regrets in my life, but passing the crown on to you? That was the best decision I’ve ever made.”

“Elsa…” Anna threw her arms around her. “Hearing that from you means the world.” As the two hugged, Elsa felt some of the morning’s anxiety melt away.  _ This is what I needed.  _ She smiled into Anna’s hair and pulled her sister closer. No one here had seen her rush into the woods from Honeymaren’s goahti. There wouldn’t be any uncomfortable stares; no rumors she didn’t know how to answer. In the familiar hallway with the scent of breakfast wafting from the kitchens and her family by her side, Elsa finally let herself relax.  _ If only this could last forever.  _

But of course it couldn’t. As Elsa’s muscles loosened, her ponytail swung to the right giving Anna a facefull of wet hair. 

“Cold, cold, cold!” Anna reeled back and did a double take as Elsa’s disheveled appearance finally registered. She raked her eyes over her sister, noting the simple dress, her unlaced boots, and the seaweed peeking out amidst her blond strands. “Why are you drenched? Did the Nokk try to drown you again? If he did, oh man, we are going to have some words. I don’t care if he’s the water spirit. I will find a way to make his life...” Anna paused. “Wait, is he even alive? Doesn’t matter. Non-life, life, I will find a way to make him sorry he ever messed with you.”

Anna was starting to turn red in the face, and if Elsa hadn’t been fairly certain that the Nokk was basically immortal, she would have been seriously concerned for his well-being. That, and he was completely innocent when it came to her current state. Grabbing Anna’s hands, she shook her head. “This is all my fault. Nokk didn’t do anything besides give me a ride. I’m the one who told him to take the fastest route.” Elsa winced, “turns out the fastest way to get here is to go under the waves, not over them.”

Anna pulled out of her grasp, every line of her body tightening with suspicion. “That explains the seaweed in your hair.” Anna folded her arms across her chest, “but now I have about a million questions.”

Elsa mentally kicked herself. Anna may have been willing to overlook her sudden visit, but now that she's brought up the fact she practically fled here? Things had been going so well until she opened her big mouth.  _ Here it comes.  _ Elsa braced herself for the onslaught that was sure to follow. 

Nothing happened.

No yelling, no typical Anna spiralling vortex of questions, just pure uncomfortable silence.

She peeked at her sister. Arms still crossed, Anna stared back.

“Do you want to tell me, or should I guess?”

It was a response so unlike Anna that Elsa just blinked dumbly. The rant about the Nokk, the tangents about their childhood: that was Anna. Or, at least the Anna Elsa was used to. With her hair pulled up and the stern set to her spine, the Anna standing across from her now was the splitting image of their mother. 

“Well?” The vision of Iduna asked. 

Words froze in Elsa’s throat. She had never been good at dealing with confrontation. Whenever the sisters got in trouble as children Anna had been the one who railed against their punishments. Elsa just meekly accepted her fate. She had known the rules, and she had willingly broken them. Whatever punishment her parents chose could never be as painful to Elsa as the disappointment in their eyes. 

As Anna tapped one foot expectaly, old fear began to creep through her veins. Elsa had fled to Arendelle to confide in her sister, but she’d never considered how Anna might react.  _ I promised no more secrets, but what will she say if I tell her?  _ The drinking was bad enough. Waking up in bed with someone she wasn’t properly courting: who was a woman no less? The ice pushed against her skin in rhythm with her quickening heartbeat.  _ I can’t lose Anna _ .  _ I can’t.  _

Frost crackled across the seawater pooling around Elsa’s boots. Anna’s brows knit together in concern, “Elsa, what happened?” 

Clawing her way up from the sea of self-doubt that threatened to overwhelm her, Elsa clenched her teeth. Anna wasn’t like their parents. _ Come on, Elsa. You can do this. _

“Anna, this morning I…” She began, only to be cut off as a voice rang out from the bedroom.

“Anna? Who are you talking to? If it’s Gerda, tell her to bring some more of these cheese thingies. I don’t know what they are, but I don’t ever want to stop eating them.” Kristoff appeared behind Anna with a cheese danish in his hands. His entire face lit up as he spotted Elsa.

“QUEEN OF THE KEG!” He crowed making finger arrows at Elsa.

The sisters stared at him dumbfounded.

“How’s the head champ?” Kristoff ploughed ahead obviously, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone drink Kraig under the table before. Here,” He plopped the pastry into one of Elsa’s nerveless hands. “Eat, then drink plenty of water. You’ll feel good as new.”

“Kristoff, …what?” Elsa stuttered, but Kristoff wasn’t done.

Brushing past his fiancee, Kristoff threw an arm over Elsa’s shoulders. “The Forest really has been good for you, you know? When we first met, I was shaking in my boots. You looked so proper, so queenly, I didn’t think we’d ever have anything in common besides Anna.” 

“Not that Anna isn’t the best of all subjects.” He added quickly as Anna glowered at him. “But you wore your title like an icy shield. I think I can count on one hand the number of times I saw you hold a real conversation with someone other than Anna, Kai, Olaf, or Gerda that first year.”

“I talked to people!” Elsa protested.

Kristoff shook his head. “Nope. You spoke, but you didn’t say anything. Asking people about their clothing, or the weather doesn’t count.” He squeezed Elsa’s shoulder. “Last night I saw you really open up to people, Elsa! You got real!”

“Real?” Elsa’s head was starting to spin again.  _ Oh please, oh please, oh please tell me he doesn’t mean what I think he… _

Kristoff spun her around to face him, “when you broke into song…” 

_ I sang?! _

“People cheered so loud I thought the whole bar was going to come crashing down around us! Honeymaren had to fight off the mob of your fans at the end of the night.”

Elsa stiffened, “Honeymaren was there?”  _ Can this get any worse? _

“Was she ever!” Kristoff grinned down at Elsa, “you know what?”

Anna made violent slashing motions across her throat as Elsa paled. 

“I think that’s some prime wife material right there. You go get her, Elsa! We’re behind you one hundred percent!”

Elsa’s face flamed. Palms sweaty, breath coming in gasps, she tried and failed to wrap her head around what Kristoff had just said.  _ Wife? I… how? What did I say?! They know? Does the whole village know? Does Honeymaren…? No she has to; if Kristoff knows, then she probably knows. Then last night did we…? In her bed… _

It began to sleet in the hall.

………….

  
  


“Okay, that’s enough.” Anna shoved Kristoff out of the way. Snaking her arm around Elsa’s waist, she glared at her fiance. 

“What?”

Anna guestured at her stunned sister. “What do you think? You know how she is! We are going to have a long talk about this when I get back. Until then…” Anna glanced around the hall. Eyes lighting on something in the corner, she propped Elsa up against the wall, and shoved the mop towards Kristoff. “Until then, you are going to clean up the mess you made.”

“I didn’t…”

"Do you want to explain keg comment instead?"

Kristoff snapped his mouth shut and wisely took the mop. 

One problem dealt with, Anna turned back to her sister. Elsa hadn’t moved a muscle from where she’d left her against the wall. Sleet beat against the fifth spirit’s flushed skin raising tiny plumes of steam wherever the drops made contact, but Elsa didn’t seem to notice. Her eyes were unfocused, her lips moving silently to form words Anna could just barely make out. “Honeymaren,” and “bed” seemed to be the most repeated. Filing that tidbit of information away for later, Anna gingerly took her sister’s arm. She almost dropped it in shock.

Underneath the woven ice of her dress, Elsa’s skin was easily ten degrees warmer than normal. In an ordinary person that sort of fever would be life threatening, in Elsa? Judging by the fact she hadn’t keeled over Anna was optimistic, but there was no sense in taking chances. Scooping up a handful of slush from the floor, Anna lobbed it in her sister’s face.

………...

_ Honeymaren, last night we…. The whole village, I  _ SANG _! In a bar!  _ Elsa’s thoughts spun like a top. Her whole body burned with embarrassment as her imagination took hold. Maybe things would have been better if she’d just remembered the details, because her mind was far too eager to fill in the blanks. Lost in a horrible daydream involving the Arendelle flag, Honeymaren, the Duke of Weselton, and that keg Kristoff had mentioned, Elsa didn’t even flinch as Anna’s arm pulled back. 

Icy water slapped her into reality. Sputtering and wiping slush off her face, Elsa blinked until Anna came into focus. Her sister seemed to be staring at her through a cloud of steam, which was odd, but it was what lay beyond Anna that captured her attention immediately. Elsa’s eyes widened as she took in the sleet pouring from the hall ceiling. Her magic created snow, ice, even hail from time to time, but she had never made it sleet before. 

_ Then again, I don’t think I’ve ever felt quite like this before either.  _ The partially frozen snow fell to the floorboards in a sloppy mess that perfectly mirrored her emotional state. She fought the sudden urge to join it on the ground.

“You with me, Elsa?” Anna asked, her voice tinged with concern.

Elsa yanked her gaze away from the floor. She opened her mouth to respond, and snapped it shut again. There were a million questions to ask about the apparent party last night, the drinking, Honeymaren, her solo act. They crowded her skull like flotsam, damming the river of her thoughts until not a single one could escape. 

As Elsa just stood there, clearly unable to utter a word, let alone a complete sentence, Anna took pity on the poor spirit. Careful to avoid touching anything not covered by her dress, Anna linked her elbow with Elsa’s. 

“Want to go somewhere a little more private?”

Elsa nodded.

“Ok then.” Anna gave Elsa’s arm a little squeeze. “I know just the place.” 

Anna glanced over her shoulder. “Hey, Kristoff? We’re going to need the library to ourselves for a while. Can you get Kai to cancel my meeting for the rest of the morning?”

“Sure, want me to keep Olaf out of the way too?” Kristoff asked. 

“Would you please? I think Elsa is going to need some time to process.”

Kristoff raised the mop in salute. “Consider it handled.” He wiggled the mop, splattering slush all over the wall behind him. “Totally handled.”

“Kristoff, the wall!” Anna reached out towards the mop but it was too late. “That’s papered, not painted!”

“It’s fine, I got it!” Kristoff wiped at the spreading water stain with his sleeve. The wallpaper just ripped. “Oops.” He winced, “we can patch that, right?”

“Uhh…” The wallpaper all along the hall was beginning to curl from the sudden moisture in the air as Elsa’s sleet continued to fall. Kristoff’s accident was the least of the damage. At this rate the whole castle might need redecorating.

“Yeah, I guess a patch isn’t going to work.” Kristoff’s shoulders slumped. “Man, I liked this color.”

“Me too.” There was a moment of silence as they both mourned the loss of the hall furnishings. Anna shook herself, “but there’s more important things right now.” 

She tapped her sister's elbow lightly, “Elsa?”

“Hmmm?”

“Kristoff’s going to take care of things here while we talk, but do you think you could turn off the sleet before we go? It would be a great help.”

Elsa started. “Oh, yes. Yes, of course.”  _ I hope.  _ Blue light sparked on her fingertips as she called her magic. Reaching out to the sleet, she gave it a little prod. It didn’t feel like her snow or ice at all.  _ But I made it, so I can get rid of it. Right?  _ Dredging up one of her favorite memories of Anna, Elsa ordered the sleet to stop. The sleet halted midair. 

Elsa smiled.  _ Yes!  _ With a wave of her hand she ordered it to evaporate. Or, rather, that is what she meant to do. Just as the magic pooled in her palms, her eyes locked onto a slim bracelet around her right wrist. 

_ A laughing Honeymaren with leaves in her hair tackled Elsa to the ground. Chest heaving with exertion, the other woman grinned down at Elsa as she clasped the bracelet on her wrist. Honeymaren's mouth moved, but Elsa didn’t hear the words as their bodies pressed together. Sun-kissed skin burned against her own: tanned, gleaming and scented like pine with just a hint of the honeysuckle vines Honeymaren had been hiding in. One perfect leg slipped haphazardly between Elsa’s, and she melted like snow in spring.  _

The sleet in the hall melted along with Elsa. Unfortunately, no ice equaled no control. The suspended drops released from her magic and splashed onto the floor drenching everything in sight. 

“I am so sorry! I didn’t mean...I...this has never happened before…” Elsa stammered, embarrassment verging on mortification flooded her veins as she took in Anna’s soaked dress, the ruined hallway, and the blond hair plastered to Kristoff’s head. A soggy danish fell to the ground with a splat. “I am so, so sorry!”

“Don’t worry about it,” Anna flicked her wet bangs off her face. “Kristoff needed a bath anyhow…”

“Hey!”

“Well you did! Sven is great, but reindeer and booze isn’t the greatest combo.”

Kristoff sniffed his pits and winced. “You may actually have a point.” 

“See? No harm done, and you got it to stop sleeting, so that’s a win, right?” She gave Elsa’s arm another reassuring squeeze.

“But I didn’t…”

Anna bopped her on the nose. “No buts! Now you are coming with me, and we are going to have a nice  _ long  _ sisterly chat. Preferably in front of a large fire with lots of chocolate.”

She didn’t get a chance to reply before Anna took off towards the library dragging Elsa in her wake. Kristoff waved, mouthing something that looked suspiciously like “I’m sorry,” as they left him behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay safe out there!


	3. Library Talk

The library hadn’t changed much since Elsa left for the Enchanted Forest. The same carmine colored carpet lay before the fireplace, paired with a matching sofa and curtains over the bay windows. Oak bookshelves lined the walls brimming with volumes that Elsa had read at one point or another under the watchful eye of her father’s coronation portrait. That painting along with several others that simply wouldn’t fit in the gallery hung opposite the fire. As Anna pulled the door shut behind them, Elsa squinted at the pictures. A little to the left of their father, there was a conspicuously bare spot on the wall.

Anna followed her gaze. “Grandad. I banished him to the attic.” Giving the lockless door a little pat, she dragged her sister over to the sofa. “I used to like how he smiled in the portrait until I found out what he did to those poor people. Now the thing just looks smug. Didn’t need that kind of juju in my family space.” She took a blanket off the back of the sofa and draped it over Elsa. 

“Anna, I appreciate the thought, but I don’t get cold.” Elsa tried to hand it back to her, but Anna was already gone.

“I do. Leave it.” Anna answered, her voice a bit muffled by the glass door of one of the bookshelves. She tossed aside a dusty volume of Arendellian history and stuck her arm into the empty spot. “I know I put it somewhere around....AHAH, here we are.” She grinned in triumph as she pulled back her arm, a wooden box clutched firmly in her grasp. Dancing back over to the couch, Anna tossed Elsa the box and plunked down beside her. 

Elsa barely caught it. The box was surprisingly heavy for its size. “What is this?” 

“My secret chocolate stash of course.” Anna burrowed under the blanket, snuggling up to Elsa’s side before tucking the corners under their legs. 

“Secret chocolate stash?” Elsa echoed.

“Maybe not so secret anymore.” Anna amended. “Sometimes you just need something sweet, you know? I got sick of the kitchen staff bowing to me every time I wandered into the kitchen for a midnight snack. Now give it!”

Elsa wordlessly handed over the box. Anna reached underneath the sofa and there was a ripping sound as she pulled something loose. Key in hand, Anna unlocked the box and opened the lid. Inside there was just about every kind of truffle imaginable. They were packed so closely together that they didn’t even rattle as Anna thrust it back towards her sister. “You get the first pick, take whatever you want. Except the caramel ones. I will fight you for those.”

Elsa stared at the truffles. The little swirls on top all looked the same to her. “I’m not really hungry.”

Anna’s eyebrows disappeared under her bangs. “Seriously? You’re turning down  _ chocolate _ ? Who are you, and what have you done with my sister?” 

Elsa shrugged, “I’m fine, Anna, really. I’m just not in the mood.” It was the truth. There was a knot of anxiety twisting in her gut, and every throb of her pulse sent shivers down her spine. Just looking at the candy was enough to make her feel nauseous.

Anna scooted sideways on the sofa so that she could look her elder sister in the eye. “Don’t tell me you’re fine, cause I know for a  _ fact  _ that’s not true.”

“I am being honest about the chocolate.” 

Anna gave her a look. “About the chocolate, sure. But about everything else? I may be oblivious at times, but even I can tell that you have something weighing on your mind. Don’t try to avoid the issue.” 

“I’m not avoiding anything.” Elsa protested reflexively. It sounded like a lie even to her ears, and judging by Anna’s expression, she wasn’t buying it either.

“You show up unannounced outside my bedroom door, dripping sea water on the floor, and you say you have something to tell me, but Kristoff butts in with some story about a keg and a bar before you can get a word out, and the next thing I know, it’s sleeting indoors and your face is redder than a boiled lobster.” Anna put a hand on Elsa’s shoulder. “I’m getting worried, Elsa. I can’t help if you won't tell me what’s wrong.”

Elsa shifted uncomfortably, “it’s not really easy to say.” Her mind flashed back to the warm bed, a sleeping Honeymaren pressed against her back. Her face flamed. “I don’t know where to start.”  _ And I don’t know what to leave out. _

“Why don’t you just start at the beginning?” Anna suggested.

“That’s the problem, I don’t know where the beginning is!” 

“How don’t you know?”

“Because I don’t remember last night at  _ all _ !” Elsa’s voice rose until she was nearly shouting. Pushing off the sofa, she began pacing in front of the fireplace. “I woke up in a strange goahti, but it wasn’t so strange, it looked kind of familiar, but the whole situation was shocking, so I didn’t recognize it at the time, but then I began to put the pieces together, and someone hugged me, and I realized  _ whose  _ goahti it was, but I still have no idea how I got there, or what happened, or what we  _ did _ , but she was NAKED, and I felt...things, so I panicked, ran into the woods, called Nokk, which turned out to be a semi-ok plan except I didn’t bother to dry out my clothes when I got here, and the guards hadn’t changed shifts, so making it to your room was really easy, which you really should fix for security reasons, I’m going to make some snowman sentinels for the castle right now.” 

Breathing hard, hands twisting in knots in the sleeves of her dress, Elsa’s heels crunched to a stop on the iced hearthstones as she finished her tirade. She hadn’t meant to say that much. Elsa wasn’t sure what she had meant to say at all. Not what came out, certainly not that. Anna’s mouth was gaping open, the wheels visibly turning in her head as she tried to process the word vomit that had just poured out of her normally taciturn sister. A stunned silence descended on the library. 

It was awkward, it was unbearable, she needed to leave. She needed to leave NOW. More ice cracked under her feet as she turned to run, Elsa couldn’t have willed it away if she tried. 

“Oh my god.”

Elsa froze.

“OH MY GOD!” Anna squealed and threw herself at her sister. Wrapping Elsa in a bear hug heedless of the frost seeping from her palms, Anna beamed up at her. “My adorably awkward magical snowflake of a sister has a  _ crush _ !” 

“I’m what?” Elsa squeaked. 

“An adorably awkward magical snowflake with a crush?” Anna repeated, giving her another bone crushing squeeze. 

Elsa could feel the blood rushing towards her face again. “I may admit that I’m cautious, but I’m not awkward.”

“Non-awkward people don’t run off because they have feelings.” Anna retorted. Elsa didn’t have anything to say to that. 

_ I did run. _ Elsa admitted to herself, then stiffened as a horrible thought occurred. _ Wait, did Honeymaren see me leave? She had to have known I was there. I didn’t walk into her home by myself, at least, I don’t think I did. What if I hurt her feelings? What would  _ I _ have felt if someone ran away from me in the exact same scenario?  _ Elsa’s heart sank as Anna tugged her back to the sofa.  _ Idiot. Selfish, idiot. Honeymaren is never going to speak to me again. I wouldn’t want to speak to me again. I am the worst. The absolute worst. A pile of… _

_ BRINNNNINGGGGG DING DING DING _

Elsa jumped backward and nearly fell as her foot collided with the leg of the sofa. Pain shot through her big toe. Biting back a curse, she reached down to assess the damage only to slip as her dress snagged on a jagged spike of ice that hadn’t been there seconds before. Luckily the sofa broke her fall. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the only thing she landed on. There was an audible  _ SNAP _ as something broke.

“Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!” Anna tossed down the bell they used for charades. “You had that look on your face, the one where everything kinda halts because you’re starting to spiral? I just wanted to break you out of it, I didn’t mean for  _ you  _ to break! Are you okay?” She started towards the library door, “do you need the physician? A bandage? I'm going to get help!”

“No don’t bother.” Elsa grimaced. “I’m not hurt. Your chocolates on the other hand…” She shifted to the other side of the sofa. The wooden box lay in splintered pieces on the cushion; smashed chocolates oozing a rainbow of fillings onto the fabric. All the bleach in the world wouldn’t be able to save the upholstery now. Elsa shook her head in disgust.  _ First the hallway, now the library; what am I? A walking natural disaster? _

“Chocolates can be replaced. I was just going to eat them anyhow.” Anna tried to reassure her. “And the box wasn’t anything special.” 

“Maybe not, but who knows what I’ll destroy next. I mean, just look!” Elsa waved a hand at the stained sofa; the crown of jagged ice encircling her seat crackled as it expanded with the gesture. “Everything I touch breaks, and now my magic isn’t even listening to me! Three years, Anna. I’ve had everything under control for three years!” Elsa dropped her head into her hands. “Why am I such a mess right now?”

“Because you sat in chocolate?”

Dodging the snowball that came hurtling her way with practiced ease, Anna raised her arms in surrender. “Okay, I deserved that.” Picking her way over the ice, she brushed the chocolates onto the floor and plopped down beside Elsa. “Do you want the quick answer to your question, or the long one?”

“Does it matter?”

“Not really.” Anna wrapped her sister in a side hug. “The way I see it, all of this goes back to you waking up next to a certain pretty Northuldra.”

Elsa glared at Anna through her fingers. “Honeymaren doesn’t have anything to do with this.”

“No?”

“No!” Elsa insisted, the blush creeping back into her cheeks. “Or maybe she does, but not in the way you’re implying!”

Anna just grinned. “You want to bet on that?”

“Anna! My memory loss is the issue here!”

“Of course. Sharing a bed with Honey can only be a plus.”

Anna wasn't fast enough to dodge the snowball this time. “Cold, cold, cold!” She shook her head, scattering flakes everywhere. “For someone  _ not  _ self conscious about her relationship, you sure have an interesting way of showing it.”

Face burning, and completely incapable of meeting her sister’s eyes, Elsa cleared her throat. “As I was saying, it’s my missing memories that are bothering me.”

“Especially since they resulted in a naked cuddle session.”

“ANNA!”

Anna smirked, but to Elsa’s eternal gratitude, dropped the subject. She leaned back against the sofa. When she spoke again, her words lacked the teasing tone from seconds before. “What can you remember from yesterday? Anything at all?”

Elsa sighed into her hands. “Not much? Little details maybe, but nothing concrete. It’s like I have bits and pieces. A tent. Laughing.” Elsa’s eyebrows knit together as she wracked her brain, “Sven wearing a tablecloth as a cape?”

“Odd.”

“You’re telling me.” Elsa sagged against the armrest. “Something happened, more than one somethings if the snippets I can recall are any indication, but I have no idea how to make sense of any of it!”

Anna made a little noise of agreement. “When I’m stuck, or I’ve lost something, it always helps me to go back to the beginning.”

“I already told you, Anna. I don’t know where the…”

“We don’t need the  _ beginning  _ beginning,” Anna interrupted. “We just need to figure out what your earliest memory from last night is, and try to fill in from there.”

Elsa raised her head, “how are we going to do that?”

“You tell me that first thing, and then I’ll tell you everything I remember. If that doesn’t fill in the gaps, then we can always call in Kristoff and get his version of events too.” Anna declared, “between the three of us, I’m sure we can figure this out no problem!”

The reasoning seemed sound, but there was something Anna had missed. “You’re assuming that we spent the whole night together.”

“From what I recall, we did. Well, mostly.” Anna amended. “I’ll admit I’m not going to be much use for what happened after you went back to the forest. But we did spend a lot of time together before that. It was the lingonberry festival yesterday, remember?”

Elsa threw her a look.

“Right, okay. My bad.” Anna apologized with a wince. “First memory, go ahead. I’m going to stop talking now.” She mimed locking her lips and throwing away the key. “Mhhu Mauhuhm ish hut”

_ First thing, huh.  _ Elsa raked her fingers through her hair as she thought. Rather, she tried to. The strands were still damp from a combination of sea water and sleet. What was dry was becoming helplessly tangled with every movement of her head as the ponytail brushed against the sofa. She couldn’t get more than a few inches without yanking on her scalp. Just one more problem to deal with. One more she didn’t need. 

Elsa rolled her eyes to the ceiling.  _ What am I? Cursed? I’m going to have to use magic to get this mess sorted. This was never a problem with braids. My hair did just fine yesterday.  _ She bolted upright in her seat,  _ that’s right! Yesterday, yesterday I rode Nokk to Arendelle with Honeymaren. _

“Share with the class?”

“I thought you weren’t talking?”

“Come on! You just remembered something, what was it?” Anna wheedled, “any juicy details?”

“No. Nothing that exciting. I just recall riding here on Nokk. Honeymaren was with me, and it was sometime around mid-afternoon I think. My hair was wet then too.”

Anna couldn’t keep the smirk off her face, “I’ll bet it wasn’t the only thing that was wet.”

Elsa quirked an eyebrow, “yes, my shoes were a little worse for wear. Does that matter?”

“Really? You know what, never mind.” Anna shook her head, “someone needs to get out more. Or read.”

“But, I read more than you?” Elsa wasn’t sure where the conversation was going anymore. “What does that have to do with yesterday?”

Anna pushed off the sofa. Stepping carefully over the ice on the floor, she crossed to the same bookcase where the chocolates had been hidden. This time instead of opening the glass doors, she bent down and unlocked the cabinet built into the base. 

“You might have read everything in here when you were queen, but I’ve made some...additions.” Anna announced over her shoulder. 

Once more, Elsa found herself lost. “The castle has one of the most comprehensive libraries in the realm. What could possible have been missing?”

“Ahh! There we go!” Anna sat back on her heels, a parcel wrapped in brown paper clutched in one hand. She grinned at the confused look on Elsa’s face. “Books on state affairs and classic literature are all well and good, but sometimes, one of these is just what the doctor ordered.” Anna bounced back to the sofa and pressed the bundle into her sister’s hands. “Open that when you get back to the Forest. Oh, and make sure you’re alone.” She cautioned.

“What?” Elsa stared at the package.  _ Why do I have to open it alone? _

Anna patted her on the shoulder. “Don’t think too hard about it. Trust me, you’re going to love this.” 

“If you say so…”

“I do!” Anna beamed, “I require a  _ full  _ report once you finish them.” She clapped her hands suddenly, and Elsa jumped. “We’ve strayed from the topic at hand enough I think.” Spinning to face Elsa, Anna folded her legs beneath her and got comfortable. “So, you remember riding here yesterday afternoon? Then that is where we’ll begin.”

She paused.

“And I apologize in advance, ‘cause I maaaayyyy have had a little bit to do with what happened.”


End file.
